Debunking the Bestseller

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A Lesson in the Status Quo, Risk-Taking, and the Gray Areas of Life and Business

The other day, I received an unexpected phone call from Jeff Trachtenberg, a reporter at The Wall Street Journal. He said he wanted to talk about my bestselling book, Leapfrogging. At first, I was thrilled. Any first-time author would jump at the chance to speak with such a high-profile publication. But it turned out Trachtenberg didn’t want to discuss what was in my book. He was interested in how it had made it onto his paper’s bestseller list. As he accurately noted, Leapfrogging had, well, leapt onto the Journal’s list at #3 the first week it debuted, and then promptly disappeared the following Friday.

Suddenly, I wasn’t so thrilled anymore. I was just about to sit down to dinner with my family and now I was being put on the spot to discuss my role in perhaps one of the most controversial practices in the book publishing industry. I was tempted to make an excuse and plead the 5th. But I wound up talking to Trachtenberg several times over the next few days.

And I’m glad I did.

When No One’s Talking, You’re Living In the Status Quo

Trachtenberg asked me about my experience with a company called ResultSource (who following this article and others like it have since removed their promotional website from the internet), the firm I had hired to help me hit the bestseller list from day one. Trachtenberg said he had contacted all of the major New York publishers, but no one would speak to him about the firm or the role of so-called “bestseller campaigns” in helping authors reach the coveted status. No comment. Dead silence.

I can’t say I was eager to be the first person to go on the record about the topic. But then I realized something – Trachtenberg’s surprising phone call was an opportunity to live up to what I urge my readers to do in my book Leapfrogging.

I’ve seen the phenomenon of corporate silence repeatedly in my career. There’s a big, smelly, ten thousand pound elephant in the conference room. Everybody knows it’s there, but no one’s willing to take the risk and point it out. As Trachtenberg was discovering, bestseller campaigns are the unacknowledged pachyderm of the book business.

There’s good reason why most industry insiders would prefer that the wider book-buying public didn’t learn about these campaigns. Put bluntly, they allow people with enough money, contacts, and know-how to buy their way onto bestseller lists. And they benefit all the key players of the book world. Publishers profit on them. Authors gain credibility from bestseller status, which can launch consulting or speaking careers and give a big boost to keynote presentation fees. And the marketing firms that run the campaigns don’t do so bad either.

My book is all about the importance of taking risks to transform these kinds of unspoken and entrenched practices. Not only that, it’s about using what seem like unfortunate surprises – like an unwelcome phone call from a reporter– to find new insights and opportunities. It hit me that if I didn’t find the guts to talk about this issue, then everything I had written was just empty rhetoric. I knew I had no choice.

So, to Trachtenberg’s pleasant surprise, I told him my story.

The Making of a Bestseller

In exploring marketing strategies for my book, I had indeed stumbled upon the company that Trachtenberg had asked me about, ResultSource. I learned that this niche marketing firm had apparently cracked the code on how the sales of books are calculated by companies like Nielsen that produce bestseller data – the very data that major trade publications, newspapers, and journals rely on to populate their bestseller lists, just like The Wall Street Journal. I learned that bestselling authors like Tony Hseih, CEO of Zappos and author of Delivering Happiness, and numerous other bestselling authors had employed its proven methodology.

I too contracted with ResultSource. The strategy the firm laid out for me was relatively straightforward. I would contact my Fortune 500 clients and others and ask them to preorder copies of my book. If I could obtain bulk orders before Leapfrogging was released, ResultSource would purchase the books on my behalf using their tried-and-true formula. Three thousand books sold would get me on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list. Eleven thousand would secure a spot on the biggest prize of them all, The New York Times list.

Prior to publishing my first book, I had run a thriving consulting and leadership development business, working with some of the biggest and most innovative companies in the world. I also speak at many conferences, so my network of contacts is pretty robust. It took effort, but in the end I was able to secure enough client orders, along with my own purchases to resell at conferences, to make it onto The Wall Street Journal’s bestseller list.

Trachtenberg, the reporter for the Journal, asked me if I had “gamed the system” by hiring ResultSource. The answer would most likely be “yes” for anyone outside the publishing industry who views books as simply things to buy, borrow, and read. But for me, having just lived through the entire book publishing and marketing process for the first time, the answer to Trachtenberg’s question is much more complex.

The Awful Truths about Book Publishing

When I first approached my publisher, Berrett-Koehler, they insisted I read an article they give to every prospective author called The 10 Awful Truths about Book Publishing. The number of books being published has exploded to 3 million titles a year, including self-published works. Despite this tsunami of growth, industry sales have been declining every year since 2007. To make matters worse, the average book has less than a 1% chance of being stocked in a bookstore. These are painful realities for the aspiring author who wants to get his or her message out to a mass audience with the intent of changing the world.

Despite these frightening facts and figures, I was thrilled when I received Berrett-Koehler’s book contract. They receive over 1500 book proposals a year and only accept and about 30-40. If I could beat these odds, I told myself, surely I could parlay my good luck into getting my book stocked on at least one bookseller’s shelf.

What I hadn’t fully internalized was that I would be almost entirely responsible for the marketing and promotion of my book. Publisher’s produce and distribute books, but that’s about all they do these days. It was my job to create the real market demand. *

Is it “Gaming the System” to “Work the System”?

Before Leapfrogging came out last August, I sought the advice of some industry insiders and seasoned authors to learn the secrets of book marketing. I tapped into my network and was introduced to someone who had just left her role as an executive at Harvard Business School Publishing. She was the first to mention “bestseller campaigns” to me. According to her, “everyone” was doing it, especially for non-fiction business books like mine.

I also spoke to two of my professional heroes, gurus in the field of management and both regular staples on the Thinkers 50 – the who’s who list of the world’s leading business thought leaders. Both of them told me that if they hadn’t used bestseller campaigns for their own books, they wouldn’t have hit the bestseller lists. “Guruship,” they told me, came from playing the game in a way that reinforced their personal brands as thought leaders. Ponying up the dough for the bestseller campaign was a small investment that would pay off later in speaking fees and consulting contracts.

What was happening here? Had I just uncovered the underworld of the publishing industry, a secret society that knows how to manufacture knowledge, fame, and careers? Was it really true that the practice had become standard operating procedure? If this was how everyone was doing it, was it gaming the system or simply working within the system that existed?

At first, feelings of excitement and disenfranchisement collided within me. On the one hand, I was elated that a bestseller was realistically within my reach – that this elusive status symbol was something I could actually control. But my excitement was tempered with the recognition that the trust I had placed in the very lists endorsed by reputable publications like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and others, might not represent the institution I had assumed it was.

Playing the Game Using Unwritten Rules

I played the bestseller game using unwritten rules. And as I reflect upon what I experienced and learned, it’s clear to me that anyone with enough money can potentially buy his or her way onto a bestseller list. Although most authors attempt to pre-sell books to their existing networks, theoretically, as long as one has enough money to purchase 3000 of their own books while using the tactics of a bestseller campaign to do so, they are basically guaranteed bestseller status. When I have told this same story to friends, family, and my close colleagues, most end up with their jaws on the floor.

Out of the millions of books published each year, very few become bestsellers. Most first-time authors are unaware that these campaigns exist and, if they are, most are unable to apply the strategy because the costs and pre-selling requirements are beyond their reach. In the bestseller campaigning process, a book’s quality – good or bad – has surprisingly little to do with it.

It’s no wonder few people in the industry want to talk about bestseller campaigns. Bestseller lists are revered, longstanding, and – of course – incredibly influential. The fact that it has become standard practice to work the system that determines which titles wind up on these lists is not exactly good PR for an industry that’s already in turmoil.

Take Risks and Find Surprises to Break-Through

In revealing my personal story, I risk several things. If I ever want to write another book, I risk being blacklisted by an industry that benefits each time an author contracts for a bestseller campaign. I risk having my current book, Leapfrogging, dismissed as a sham, even though it’s received fairly wide press and positive reviews. And I risk damaging a few personal relationships with those who may see my words here as an attack on their livelihoods.

Of course this very article may lead to additional visibility for my book and my work. But that isn’t the end goal.

As I describe in Leapfrogging, personal and business breakthroughs don’t necessarily result from big visions, carefully crafted strategies and meticulous plans. It’s the unexpected, itself, that contains the seeds of insight, learning, and growth that leads to breakthroughs.

When I decided to write my book, I didn’t know that I would gain an insider’s view of an industry that was fighting the very type of disruptive innovation and change that I have dedicated my life to understanding and helping others to navigate. And I surely couldn’t have predicted Trachtenberg’s phone call. In opening up to these little surprises, and sharing them with others in the spirit of challenging the status quo, I can only expect that more will come my way.

* It’s important to note that my editor at Berrett-Koehler actually questioned my choice to participate in a bestseller campaign. As a rule, this publisher feels that the campaigns wind up detracting from authors’ long-term focus on promoting their books. In the end, though, the decision whether to participate in the bestseller campaign was left up to me.

This is cheating, plain and simple. Just because others have cheated, that shouldn't give "new" authors the license to cheat, either. Putting "bestseller" on your website to me seems disingenuous since you didn't actually have a bestseller. Buying up one's own work or having a company do it for you is a short-cut that I'm surprised doesn't eat at you daily since it's an inaccurate "award". Your honesty now is commendable, but showing such honesty by NOT being dishonest about your bestseller status would have been even more so from the beginning. The "Lance Armstrong" defense of "others have cheated so why shouldn't I?" rings very hollow no matter the industry. And you admit because your "gurus" cheated that gave you the green light to do the same and also earned more money and prestige than you actually deserved. I'm not sure what is more mind-boggling, the fact this is routinely done in the business-book world or the fact you do not find anything ethically wrong with the practice.

Thank you for your comments. I agree that just because “everyone” is doing something, it doesn’t make it right, or even ethical. As a new author wanting to make a difference in the world, I had concluded there was nothing “illegal” going on, and that this was “how the game today is played" – but all the while I felt disillusioned as a consumer myself, since many of us hold assumptions about what a “bestseller” is or should represent. When I agreed to speak to Jeff Trachtenberg at the Wall Street Journal, the intent was to reveal what I had discovered as a systemic issue that involves multiple players all reinforcing the bestseller campaign process, all which is invisible to the public. Several days before the WSJ article went to press, apparently the senior editors at the Journal modified the framing and positioning of the article to focus almost exclusively on the authors’ practices – hence the pointed and provocative title of their original piece. And I found it fascinating that in the article they say the WSJ itself declined to comment – on their own article. One blog comment below their own article notes that the WSJ was once accused of buying their own newspapers to elevate their circulation numbers. I believe a lot still needs to be said about how most large publishers subtly promote bestseller campaign practices, and how the system is set-up to reinforce the brands of known-authors with vast resources and client networks… all at the detriment of aspiring authors who are limited by established industry practices. Thank you for listening, and for your honest and open feedback. --Soren Kaplan

I'm torn. It sounds like what he did is a perfectly legitimate sales tactic - marketing his wares before they become available. He just did it through an "iffy" third-party that does it in such a way to maximize exposure. It's sort of the big-brother-companion to a viral marketing campaign.

Would I do this were I an author? I don't know. It's one of those "gaming the rules, while still technically playing by them," things.

This must be why most best seller in fiction make me yawn. I have so many abandoned novels that had very high visibility and I return again and again to the classics in my favorite genres for inspiration. Bad writing gets published, hits the best seller lists and I set it aside before it wrecks my inner voice.

Soren I really have to disagree with this. Regardless of the spin, this is still gaming the system and, much like fake reviews, this should be stopped. I have been in the industry for over 12 years and I know you aren't the first person to do this. If you believe in your book, let the book speak for itself. If you don't believe in your book, or in your ability to promote it, then this is what you do. So much about this industry is ego-driven which is sad. We write books to change lives, inspire people, or entertain. Being a bestseller is great, but it's just eye-candy. The real benefit to writing can not be measured in bestseller status. I blogged on this, too: http://www.amarketingexpert.com/faking-it-onto-the-bestseller-list/.

Well said Penny. What good is success if it is false success. I want my books read because they are good books not because I manipulated them into sales. Thank you for being a voice for integrity in our industry.

Penny, I don't disagree with you at all. I am not promoting this practice, even though I admittedly participated in it. I shared my story because I want others to learn from it, and to raise awareness of this ubiquitous approach that flies under the radar of the general public. In my view these types of campaigns detract from the long term focus of the book in most cases. I also believe that a great book will eventually be seen, and there are other ways to go about gaining traction in the market, just as you describe.

I totally agree. My issue with this is that it's just flat out frightening. I mean as people see this story and decide to do this - or, even worse, if the process of doing a bestseller campaign becomes more affordable and accessible to more authors. How will we ever know if a book got there because it's good or if the author just had the budget to make this happen? Same for reviews, though I get that's not what we're talking about here - it falls into the same discussion. Sadly, people will always provide this service. I call on the bestseller lists to make changes and fake-proof their lists!

The point is, we don't know now whether the book is good, or whether it's been positioned to be on the best-seller list. Nothing's changed - we've just had real confirmation that 'fixing' is and has been going on.

My first novel published last year...I have two more in the pipeline and due out this year. I would love to hit the best seller list, but I'll do it with my own sweat and tears. Marketing yourself and your work is tough and when you have others gaming the system, it becomes next to impossible for the rest of us to succeed. Wonder how many REAL best sellers the world misses out on because others are cheating the system. Truly sad.

Old news to me, or anyone that has seen the way the world spins round. I remember hearing as a teenager about how Brian Epstein bought thousands of copies of Love Me Do to send The Beatles to #1 with a bullet.

I'm not damning you for following the herd, and I'm not blessing you for confessing your culpability in the "sham" side of publishing. I've known about these practices for a long time, as this is my industry too. But I think you haven't quite stepped up the plate here. You seem to me an intelligent, successful man, and your book might even be good and worthwhile as your reviews report, but you have this amazing opportunity to learn more than your above post reveals.

Consider this: you say that by confessing you bought your way onto the big lists you risked people not trusting you or even publishing you again. So where was that type of ethical thinking BEFORE you participated with what you call the underbelly of publishing? Someone who purports to be a thought-leader, an expert in any field, a teacher for God's sake, should at a minimum have the smarts to know that if they are going to practice a behavior that they would NEVER speak of to their clients/readers publicly, then they have no good business reason to do it in the first place. I think this is a very hard lesson to learn, especially when you are a senior in your field. No offense, but this is freshman material. Just because you CAN buy your way to an award, doesn't mean you should. Think Lance Armstrong. Now he has to tell his own son what he did.

Believe it or not, I'm not chastising you. I'm putting forth what I believe are reasonable assessments I didn't see above. I've been in business a long time. I've fired profitable clients for unethical issues. Heck, I sued Microsoft for trying to bully me (and I won--you should have seen their attorney's face!). I've made these decisions and lost money, not just because of my distaste for their practices, but because I have to look myself in the mirror every morning. I have to look my husband, friends, family in the eye and be proud of how I earn my living.

Now I LOVE being an author, like you. And I LOVE teaching, like you. And I believe in making lots of money at both (while keeping my dignity in tact). Teaching is an honorable position. My mom was a teacher. I work hard to live up to the honor of that mantle. So I stay a teacher and author, because I believe you make more progress changing a broken system when you work within it. I'm trying, along with thousands of other authors, to move publishing in the right direction. We are working hard to stop these unethical but rampant practices (like the fake reviews), and we write the best material we can to make those bestselling lists on our own (and yes, authors get there the honest way, but fewer than should because spots are consumed by the phony campaigns).

So here's my final question: what are you going to do now---besides getting caught and confessing to a reporter (I don't underestimate how hard that was to do, or how hard the repercussions might be)-- to use your pulpit to create positive change in this industry going forward? Like I said, you have an amazing opportunity before you. Are you going to share this experience with your audiences? Are you going to include this info in your next book? Are you going to advise your big-wig clients of better practices? How brave are you feeling?

We've all been wrong once or twice in our lives, but it's how we get right that matters.

As the author of a new Civil War novel of romance and adventure, I read all of this with great interest. The Breastplate is receiving 5 star reviews and many, including the publishing company say it would make a good movie; some even compare it to Gone with the Wind. I am struggling to get it "going" while such garbage as Seven Shades of Grey is called a best seller. The Breastplate is a 'clean' book and holds everyones attention. Perhaps I need to 'pay its way onto a besst seller list'! Shirley McCracken author of The Breastplate. Check it out at Amazon or Barnes and Nobles.

This is an excellent, fair, and evenhanded explication of the business book world and achieving bestseller status. I appreciate your honesty and openness, because there are too many myths surrounding that world, and too many people who believe that they're getting screwed, to put it bluntly, when they write a book, publish it, and sit back waiting for the world to notice. As you indicate, there are simply too many books published for the stone-dropped-into-the-pond method to work. Authors (and my remarks apply especially to non-fiction business book authors) who want to be read must realize that they are responsible for their own marketing. That means that they have to figure out how to get the world's attention. No one else is going to do it for them. Hence, if they have the money and network, they'd be crazy not to work with a company like Resultsource, and, additionally, use any other method they can think up to catch the world's attention. Otherwise you're just operating on hope. Hope is a wonderful emotion but it's not a practical business strategy.

"Sitting back and waiting for the world to notice" vs. buying your way onto the bestseller list is a false dichotomy. The middle term, which most authors do, is working to publicize your book. The book described in this article is a " bestseller" the way Colonel Sanders is a real colonel. All these euphemisms--"working within the system," "innovation," etc.--are just that: evasive terms for claiming a prize that you haven't really won. Lance Armstrong worked within the existing system, too. Soren's article is admirable and welcome, but no one should take it as granting moral or ethical permission to buy a bogus bestseller designation. "Here's how to cheat" does not mean "therefore it's no longer cheating."

I think it was cool that you did choose to go this route, and learn what's 'really going on' in the publishers world. While it may seem unethical or cheating to some, I really think it boils down to being marketing savvy. The books that hit bestseller isn't always 'the best book' in that field. Sometimes it's just the author knows how to market their material, or hires the right team to do so...

The part that strikes me as 'unethical' is the fact the publishers really don't do much. They are basically glorified printers with a lot of power, and that they aren't sharing way's for authors to try and marketing them selves.

Kudos to you for doing this interview and opening up about what was going on.

It seems to me that those who use best seller campaigns really are the gurus and that they have figured out what works and followed the formula with remarkable discipline. The other choice is to hire an expensive PR firm (which many authors do on top of the best seller campaign).

I challenge everyone to show me a truly organic non fiction best seller from an unknown author. And still I would speculate about how that person had such a huge following and yet they are 'unknown'.

I appreciate that Soren has the courage to pull back the curtain so all can see how it is done in a non-clandestine way. I still respect him the same and know that he is just doing what smart entrepreneurs do. Check it off the list and get back to really what his true mission is and help people rather than working the futile pathway of an organic best seller.

I hope that the best seller campaign for all authors who decide to do it Leapfrogs their business (its still hard work for the author just like training and running a marathon even if its not Boston)

All the authors I know who did not know about best seller campaigns wish they had and I have one colleague who said its her only regret about her book (not having a best seller campaign)

I honestly can't say that I'm surprised that this is going on, but I am disgusted. I started writing at age 9. It has been a long and hard road and I've been paying my dues so to speak. And even though I knew it would take quite some time, my dream was always to be an established writer of my own merits. Reviews are nice, but if you have to pay for them then they really aren't glowing. And now I guess I can say the same thing about the best seller lists. I may not have a lot of glowing reviews or awards for my books. And I'm not on any best seller list, but I have had a magazine and some people of the medical community praise a blog of mine that was born from a passion to help people with Fibromyalgia. That praise is worth more to me than any best seller list.

Thanks for being authentic to share about your campaign. Is there a difference between earning respect from others than to paying someone to respect you? As a debut non-fiction author, I hope to sell books and influence others by my message. But it's difficult, even impossible to have your voice heard in this noisy world. I can understand how people decide to participate in bestseller campaigns. Hopefully, social media will help spread the truth when something is truly remarkable without paying to gain the status.

Soren: Thanks for writing this. I have been writing for years, and am trying to finish what will be my first novel and have it published. Knowing this practice exists takes a lot of personal pressure off me to have my novel, which I'm confident will be published, make the best seller list. I read many fine Irish writers whose work is brilliant, but you may not hear of them in the U.S. Doesn't take away from their writing. In fact, it makes their work even more special to me that they are not in the Oprah club or on the NYT bestseller list. Big load off.

All I can say is kudos to you for being humble enough to admit when you're wrong, when you've made a mistake and then going a step further and sharing what you've learned from the experience with the world, and standing by allowing them to alternately flog you and praise you. Everyone will have their own take on it. I personally hope others will look at this for what it really is - a learning experience you've shared so others may benefit from it.

For me, I've never put much stock in bestseller lists because all too often there were books on there that made me wonder what the readers were smoking while they read it. But different strokes, different folks in the end. I put a lot more stock in a close contact's review and recommendation of a book than in some list. And after reading thousands of books in the last 20 plus years, I have developed my own personal ideas about what makes a good book and am satisfied to trust that judgement over all others.

As an indie author who self-published her first children's book last year, I must admit that the practice saddens me a little bit simply because if people are doing this, then where does my book, which I wrote purely for the purpose of sharing joy, love and laughter with others, fit into the mix? How does the cream rise above the fat so to speak? Why hasn't there been a better litmus test created for evaluating books and elevating them to their deserved stature instead? Is word of mouth the only cure?

I'll give you a recent example. My good friend Stephen C. Spencer is an author of a series featuring a main character named Paul D. Mallory. It's fun, witty, sharp in all the right ways and yet he is only doing moderately well. I personally feel his books are bestselling material, notable works of literary art and worthy of movie deals. I felt that way immediately after reading his books and am certain of it now after having gotten to know him in the last 1 1/2 years. I found him purely through luck on Twitter. So what about authors like him, who are just waiting to be discovered?

In order to rise above the status quo, a path must be forged and I think you've taken an important first step. In addition, discourse and conversation are necessary as well. In that vein, why do we need a bestseller list in the first place? Why not "New & Notable" or "Rising Stars" or something that is not a "best of the best" category where competition is required. There's plenty of room at the top - why must only one be there? Publishing doesn't have to be a competition or a sport - it should be about art. Van Gogh, Michaelangelo, The Vinci all rose to the top of the art world and reigned there together (and some could argue, still do today) - why can't literature be the same? J.K. Rowling is just as good of an author as J.R.R. Tolkien, Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe and the many others - just in a different voice. With so many literary voices, it makes sense that more than one can be successful and celebrated. I think originally bestseller lists were a way of celebrating authors and their works but has now become simply a greedy enterprise. To fix the problem, the solution is to get back to celebrating authors and the beautiful art they give us, regardless of the monetary issues.

I understand why people don't like that this happened, but it seems to me the Author wrote a book and self marketed 3000 odd copies to her clients (which in itself is worthy of respect). After being sold then instead of being sold through the 'usual' channels they were purchased through a secret process which drove the book to the best sellers list for a few days. Did I miss something?
OK, so where are the dichotomies here?
The best sellers list doesn't disclose how it compiles it's information, in itself it is a marketing tool for the publication (i.e. "read my reputable publication and we'll tell you the best book to read") - but they aren't doing any due diligence on their process.
The publications readers - 1) they trust the publication (anyone want to buy a bridge?), 2) they don't have time or inclination to look at a number of book reviews themselves, 3) They are using a metric (of books sold) as a measure for book quality or interest.

If this process raises your ire, perhaps letters to the publications asking to make public their selection criteria. This makes it all transparent and means a more level playing field. If the list is not worth the paper it's written on, don't buy the paper... It seems castigating an author who actually sold the number of books to make the bestseller list misses the real deception - the list itself (and it's agenda).

Anyone reading this article should check out http://kriswrites.com/2013/02/28/the-business-rusch-the-death-of-publishing/. Kristine Kathryn Rusch tells it like it is. Additionally, everyone should always question the posts on Amazon in support of books; these are usually generated by friends of the authors. Doing a Google search and and reading a variety of independent reviews (if available) is a much better way to get a true assessment of the author's work.

The fact is, if publishers won't promote authors, and publications no longer have book reviewers, and the media generally ignore newcomers and 'unknowns', writers have to figure out how to be noticed in the marketplace and then how to get their books read. It's a diabolical situation. Now a writer can't just be a writer and earn a living. Just not possible.

I'm not sure if I would agree that this is "standard practice". I could be way off, but the majority of books on bestseller lists don't storm on and then fall off the following week. There are handful, yes, but most are there because of the blood, sweat and tears of putting in the time, building a backlist, branding, creating a fanbase etc. When I look (especially at the upper reaches of the lists) many of the titles are there for dozens (some hundreds) of weeks and a % of the ones that get without the above are a phenomenon...like witnessing a shooting star. I do appreciate your post, though.

The world is full of systems we think are holy and special and worthy of reverence. And every single one of them, being a human-derived institution, is susceptible to "gaming". We're about to see the elevation of a new Pope. This is Christ's vicar on Earth! This is the leader of the catholic Church, the man responsible for the souls and salvation of millions! Will he be elevated by the appearance of the Holy Ghost? No... there will be a long period of negotiating and horse-trading and infighting by the College of Cardinals, and they will decide who the next Pope should be. And it won't be the guy with the purest heart or who is most devoted to Mother Church... it'll be the guy who promises the most benefit to the greatest number of cardinals.

Now tell me how terrible it is to find out that the WSJ best-seller list might be gamed.

I am a boutique publisher based out of Montreal operating in Nigeria. I represent an up and coming author Sheriff Olanrewaju and his kind of best seller campaign is exactly what we envisioned to use to preselected he books we were about o print to keep the publishing afloat. It makes a lot of sense especially for the small publisher. Our first run was jet five hundred books and three hundred still remain but had we as I had originally wanted PREsold the books before publishing we would be well into our third or fourth run by now.

This doesn't surprise me. My epiphany came when my local bookstore (a chain bookstore) refused to carry my book though they had a local authors section. What I noticed is that the shelves were filled with self-published books from Publish America, some of them were very poorly written, but because Publish America was a *big publisher* with enough money to buy shelf space with the national chain, then those books got space while my book from a small publisher-but not a vanity press--got nothing. I realized then it was all about the money.

As someone who truly has written a best seller (http://tinyurl.com/2bdeaps) in two countries which didn't make to these phony lists, I too find this galling but I truly appreciate that you took that reporter's call and brought this to light. Last weekend a chicken soup author told me he paid almost 100,000 to become a chicken soup author. And he was one of 4 listed on the book.

That was a fascinating peek into the publishing business's. As a new author myself, this is a problem I deal with daily. When you are one of millions of authors, how can you get noticed? As you mentioned, even if you get a publisher, the author will be the one in charge of marketing. Just out of curiosity, did your week on the nytimes best seller list give your book a noticable boost?